AFFiNE vs AnythingLLM
Short answer
AFFiNE: Notion- and Miro-style workspace (docs, whiteboards, databases) with built-in AI, self-hostable with Docker. AnythingLLM: All-in-one private chat with your documents, agents and an embeddable widget. Both are in our Knowledge base & RAG category.
Choose AnythingLLM if you want: cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €35.99/mo), fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Open core) and simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).
Last updated · computed from each project's official docs and live GitHub data · sources
AFFiNE vs AnythingLLM side by side
| AFFiNE | AnythingLLM | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge base & RAG | Knowledge base & RAG |
| What it is | Notion- and Miro-style workspace (docs, whiteboards, databases) with built-in AI, self-hostable with Docker. | All-in-one private chat with your documents, agents and an embeddable widget. |
| License | MIT (Community Edition) with Enterprise Edition license for server code | MIT |
| License type | Open core | Permissive |
| License conditions | The README says the Community Edition is free to self-host under the MIT license. The server code under packages/backend carries an AFFiNE Enterprise Edition license that applies to parts not distributed as Community Edition. Self-hosted workspaces get up to 10 seats; more seats need a paid Team Plan or Installable License. | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the copyright notice. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 74.0k | 67.7k |
| Last commit | Oct 27, 2026 | Oct 27, 2026 |
| Latest release | v0.27.4 | v1.19.0 |
| Minimum hardware | Not published | 2 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 5 GB disk |
| Recommended hardware | 4 vCPU · 2 GB RAM | Not published |
| RAM measured by us | Not tested yet | 274 MiB idle, 915 MiB working (our test, v1.18.0, Oct 22, 2026) |
| GPU | Not required / not stated | Not required / not stated |
| Est. server cost | from €35.99/mo | from €19.99/mo |
| Deploy method | Docker Compose (official images) | Docker |
| Known gotchas | 4 listed | 2 listed |
| Telemetry | Not documented | On by default |
| Calls home by default | Not documented | No (documented) |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Free with limits (OIDC free) | Not documented |
| Audit log | Not documented | Not documented |
| RBAC | Not documented | Not documented |
| Details | Full AFFiNE guide → | Full AnythingLLM guide → |
Key differences
- License: AFFiNE: MIT (Community Edition) with Enterprise Edition license for server code (Open core). AnythingLLM: MIT (Permissive).
- Official hardware: AFFiNE: recommended 4 vCPU · 2 GB RAM (no separate minimum published). AnythingLLM: minimum 2 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 5 GB disk.
- Est. server cost: AFFiNE: from €35.99/mo. AnythingLLM: from €19.99/mo.
- Deploy: AFFiNE: Docker Compose (official images) · multi-container stack. AnythingLLM: Docker · single container.
- GitHub stars: AFFiNE: 74.0k. AnythingLLM: 67.7k.
- Latest release: AFFiNE: v0.27.4 (Aug 18, 2026). AnythingLLM: v1.19.0 (Oct 26, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Knowledge base & RAG; GPU: not required or not stated; Status: Active; Last commit: Oct 27, 2026.
AFFiNE vs AnythingLLM: FAQ
AFFiNE or AnythingLLM: which should a small business choose?
Choose AnythingLLM if you want: cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €35.99/mo), fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Open core) and simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).
Which is cheaper to self-host, AFFiNE or AnythingLLM?
AnythingLLM: cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €35.99/mo).
How much hardware do AFFiNE and AnythingLLM need?
AFFiNE: recommended 4 vCPU · 2 GB RAM (no separate minimum published). AnythingLLM: minimum 2 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 5 GB disk.
What is the license difference between AFFiNE and AnythingLLM?
AFFiNE: MIT (Community Edition) with Enterprise Edition license for server code (Open core). The README says the Community Edition is free to self-host under the MIT license. The server code under packages/backend carries an AFFiNE Enterprise Edition license that applies to parts not distributed as Community Edition. Self-hosted workspaces get up to 10 seats; more seats need a paid Team Plan or Installable License. AnythingLLM: MIT (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the copyright notice. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is AFFiNE or AnythingLLM more actively maintained?
AFFiNE: Active, last commit Oct 27, 2026. AnythingLLM: Active, last commit Oct 27, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 29, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, AFFiNE or AnythingLLM?
AFFiNE installs via Docker Compose (official images) (multi-container stack); AnythingLLM via Docker (single container). AFFiNE lists 4 known gotchas and AnythingLLM lists 2; see each app page.
Related
- AFFiNE self-hosting guide · AnythingLLM self-hosting guide
- All AFFiNE alternatives, ranked
- All AnythingLLM alternatives, ranked
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- AFFiNE vs MaxKB
- AFFiNE vs Onyx (formerly Danswer)
- AFFiNE vs Open Notebook
- AFFiNE vs PipesHub
- AFFiNE vs PrivateGPT
- AFFiNE vs RAGFlow
- AnythingLLM vs DocsGPT
- AnythingLLM vs FastGPT
- AnythingLLM vs kotaemon
- Add a third app in the interactive comparison
Sources
- AFFiNE GitHub repository: github.com/toeverything/AFFiNE
- AFFiNE documentation: docs.affine.pro/self-host-affine
- AFFiNE license: github.com/toeverything/AFFiNE/blob/canary/LICENSE
- AFFiNE hardware requirements: docs.affine.pro/self-host-affine/install/requirements
- AFFiNE deploy instructions: docs.affine.pro/self-host-affine/install/docker-compose-recommended
- AnythingLLM GitHub repository: github.com/Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm
- AnythingLLM documentation, AnythingLLM hardware requirements: docs.anythingllm.com/installation-docker/system-requirements
- AnythingLLM license: github.com/Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm/blob/master/LICENSE
- AnythingLLM deploy instructions: github.com/Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm/blob/master/docker/HOW_TO_USE_DOCKER.md
- Hetzner Cloud pricing used for cost estimates (read 2026-10-25): www.hetzner.com/cloud/regular-performance
- GitHub REST API (stars, commits, releases): docs.github.com/en/rest
Every value is generated from the same verified data as the app pages. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.